Legal
Terms of Use
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using the website at thaitemplearchive.org (the "Site"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not use the Site.
These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and anyone who accesses or browses the Site.
2. About the Project
Thai Temple Archive is a non-commercial, non-profit archival project operated by Vladislav and Nadezhda Rakhvalsky. The project is dedicated to photographing, documenting, and preserving the cultural and architectural heritage of Buddhist temples across Thailand, and making this archive freely available to the public.
The Site serves as a free public resource. It is not a commercial platform, marketplace, or media outlet.
3. Intellectual Property
3.1 Ownership
All photographs, images, text, research, maps, design elements, and other content published on the Site ("Content") are the intellectual property of Thai Temple Archive and its founders, or are used with appropriate permission.
All rights are reserved unless explicitly stated otherwise.
3.2 Free Public Viewing
All Content on this Site is provided free of charge for personal viewing, educational use, and research purposes. You are welcome to browse, reference, and share links to pages on the Site.
3.3 Permitted Use
You may:
- — View and browse all Content on the Site freely
- — Share links to pages on the Site on social media or other platforms
- — Reference or cite the Site in academic, journalistic, or educational work, with proper attribution to Thai Temple Archive (thaitemplearchive.org)
- — Download individual photographs for personal, non-commercial use, provided attribution is included
3.4 Prohibited Use
You may not:
- — Reproduce, republish, or redistribute photographs or other Content for commercial purposes without prior written permission
- — Use Content in advertising, promotional materials, or for-profit publications
- — Sell, license, or sublicense any Content from this Site
- — Scrape, harvest, or systematically download Content in bulk
- — Remove or alter copyright notices, watermarks, or attribution information from any photographs
- — Use the Site's Content to train artificial intelligence models, machine learning systems, or similar technologies without prior written consent
- — Misrepresent the origin of Content or claim it as your own work
3.5 Commercial Use
Any commercial use, reproduction, or redistribution of Content requires official written permission from Thai Temple Archive, the photographers, and where applicable, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and the Ministry of Culture of Thailand.
Unauthorized commercial use may result in legal action under Thai and international copyright law.
4. Attribution
When referencing or citing Content from this Site in any permitted context, please use the following attribution format:
5. User Conduct
When using the Site or contacting us through any form or email, you agree not to:
- — Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information
- — Harass, threaten, or abuse any person connected with the project
- — Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site or its systems
- — Introduce malware, viruses, or any harmful code
- — Use the Site in any way that violates applicable local, national, or international law
6. Volunteer and Contributor Terms
If you join an expedition or contribute to the project in any capacity (as a photographer, driver, translator, guide, or otherwise), the following applies:
- — Any photographs or materials you create as part of a Thai Temple Archive expedition become part of the archive and are subject to these Terms
- — You grant Thai Temple Archive a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, publish, and archive your contributions for the purposes of the project
- — You retain moral rights to your work and will be credited where appropriate
- — You agree to participate voluntarily and acknowledge that Thai Temple Archive is a non-commercial project with no financial compensation for contributions
Specific contributor agreements may be provided separately for expedition participants.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
The Site and its Content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.
Thai Temple Archive makes no representations or warranties regarding:
- — The accuracy, completeness, or currency of temple information, addresses, or historical data
- — The continuous, uninterrupted availability of the Site
- — The absence of errors or technical issues
Temple information — including addresses, visiting hours, and historical details — is provided in good faith but may be outdated or incomplete. Always verify important details locally before visiting a temple.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Thai Temple Archive and its founders shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from:
- — Your use of or inability to use the Site
- — Reliance on any information provided on the Site
- — Any errors or omissions in the Content
- — Unauthorized access to or alteration of your data
9. Third-Party Links
The Site may contain links to external websites. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Thai Temple Archive does not endorse, control, or take responsibility for the content of any third-party site. Visiting external links is at your own risk.
10. Respect for Religious and Cultural Heritage
All Content on this Site depicts sacred religious sites. Users are expected to engage with this material respectfully. Thai Temple Archive reserves the right to take action against any use of its Content that is deemed disrespectful to Thai Buddhist heritage, culture, or religious practice.
11. Governing Law
These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Site shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Thailand.
Users accessing the Site from other countries do so at their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
12. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
13. Contact
For permissions, licensing inquiries, or questions about these Terms, please contact us:
Thai Temple Archive
Email: legal@thaitemplearchive.org